Leeds extends a right Royal welcome to Her Majesty The Queen

Leeds is busy making major preparations for a very high-profile visit this week as the city is set to welcome Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh.

And the public will get a unique opportunity to possibly meet The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh as they do a walkabout on Briggate, the city’s central shopping street.

Her Majesty and His Royal Highness are coming to Leeds as part of their Diamond Jubilee tour of the United Kingdom and will make three key stops in the city centre to see what it has to offer and to meet local people.

The tour will begin with a visit to Leeds Arena, where Her Majesty will unveil a plaque to top out the £60m entertainment venue, currently under construction. The Royal party will also go to the recently-renovated Leeds City Varieties, during which Leeds will launch its commitment to be a Child Friendly City. Children from more than 130 schools in Leeds will be represented at the Royal visit.

People are being encouraged to come into to city centre on the morning of Thursday July 19 to join in the festivities as the city celebrates the Royal visit. Anyone hoping to catch a glimpse of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh should make their way to the Briggate area in the first half of the morning, arriving no later than 11am. Space is limited, so people are advised to get there early.

The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Cllr Ann Castle, said:“It is a great honour for Leeds to welcome The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh to the city during their Diamond Jubilee tour. We are very pleased to be able to demonstrate to them what a marvellous city Leeds is and how wonderful its people are.

“It is a unique opportunity for us to represent our rich history, what’s happening in the city now and our bright future. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will meet the public on Briggate, the street on which our city was founded more than 800 years ago, and also see inside the recently-restored City Varieties old-time music hall.

“They will also be able to see examples of our ambition to develop our city and people for the future, both inside the new arena and during the launch of our commitment to be a Child Friendly City.”

During their visit The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will meet many local people and children involved in a number of different projects. At the Arena, this will include the construction crew, apprentices and project team. They will also see musical performances and an eye-catching acrobatic display.

When they arrive at the City Varieties they will hear about Leeds’ plans to be a Child Friendly City and watch a short performance by the theatre’s young people’s company of “The Good Old Days”, based on the famous national favourite TV show that used to be filmed at the theatre.

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will then go to Briggate for a walkabout, meeting members of the public. This will be followed by a special singing performance given by a group of singers brought together from a number of different choirs from across Leeds.

The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Ann Castle, will bid farewell to Her Majesty and His Royal Highness.

There will be some minor disruption to local roads on the morning of July 19th, with rolling, short-term closures to ensure the visit goes smoothly and the partial closure of The Headrow between Albion Street and Briggate.